A/N: Beta'd by Errihu.


Chapter Ten


Sakura knelt down to the boy's level, studying the fear he held in his pupils. Like before, he locked his stare with hers. There was another silent plead from him, to her, not to force him inside this building. She didn't quite understand where his sudden anxiety came from, but had a sneaking suspicion it may have to do with a certain man that resided inside.

"You said you wanted to come," Sakura spoke softly to Gaara, hoping to coax him in. "Why are you changing your mind suddenly?"

The boy was silent, his eyes still settled on hers, begging her. He glanced at Baki for a moment, as if to make sure the man's eyes were somewhere else before his eyes came back to Sakura's.

"Please..." Gaara mouthed.

Sakura's eye's widened then. It shouldn't have been this point where cordiality found him. To Sakura, he was literally like a cornered animal, using whatever means he could to have mercy showed upon him. For the rosette, it was a troubling sight, regardless of his manners. For no boy should fear the man that raised them. Yet, this father made Gaara suddenly quake in his spot.

"You're afraid of seeing your father, aren't you?" Sakura whispered.

Gaara's eyes narrowed towards Sakura then. She wasn't sure if he did this because he didn't want her to believe there were people in this world that rattled him. His bravado returned then, the angry eyes were locked with hers just like so many times before. Maybe he did this because he couldn't comprehend how Sakura silently understood. Understood his likes, his wants as a child, his needs.

His fears.

"It's alright," Sakura said, bringing her hand out towards the boy.

Gaara's eyes were suddenly on her movement, watching her hand slowly reach for him. He flinched slightly when she rested her palm at the side of his head, stroking lightly. In any other scenario, where Gaara would have asked for nothing, or if he wasn't pleading with her now, he would have torn himself away from her alien hold. He only allowed her this touch because he needed something from her. He stared at her arm, trying to decipher what this contact meant, and only did his eyes return to hers when she spoke.

"You can stay out here with Baki-san then. I won't be long."

His tense body relaxed then, even with her hand still on him, and Sakura liked to think then that he mentally thanked her. She pinpointed that Gaara had a fear for his father, she had suspected as much since Shiori had mentioned Gaara could be triggered by Kankuro's look; a look that matched their dad. Still, she wondered what that fear entailed. How Rasa had earned it?

She pulled back her hand, giving Gaara a warm smile before standing.

"Behave, please. Don't run off. If you want something, ask first. Alright?"

Sakura stared down at him, hoping he was taking her words to heart. She definitely did not expect him to nod to her, but it made the young woman's smile grow all the more.

'He's listening to me now,' Sakura beamed in her mind.

"Good boy," she said, ruffling his hair a bit before marching her way towards Baki.

"Apologies," he said the minute she approached him, "I should have explained to the young lord where our destination was."

Sakura shook her head to this, glancing back towards Gaara while speaking still.

"This experience was good for him. For both of us."

A smile found Sakura then, one that Baki noticed immediately. He glanced between her and Gaara for a moment before clearing his throat.

"Kazekage-sama is waiting," he reminded her, marching past her and towards the boy.

"Right! Right!" Sakura said, now turning to jog up the stairs. "Come get me if he gets restless!"

Baki simply waved his hand to her call, signaling that he understood her, and Sakura paced herself into the building and towards Rasa's office. She didn't even give herself a moment to collect herself, or try to decipher why she was beckoned suddenly. She only realized this after one of the guards opened the door to the Kazekage's office for her.

As she stepped in, Rasa's eyes did not fall on her but were instead set towards the window behind his desk and chair. He sat there with a long look, lost in thought. At least, that was what Sakura had thought, but as the door behind her closed, he acknowledged her.

"Sakura," was all he said, a distant greeting.

Despite his eyes set to the outside world, Sakura drew near to him, hoping he would get to whatever point he needed fast so she could return to Gaara. She remained silent, waiting.

"Would you care for some tea?" he asked, with time.

Sakura sighed to this. She would do her best to be as professional as possible, despite her dislike for the man in front of her. She tried to remember his promise to her.

"You summoned me?" Sakura spoke, hoping the conversation would carry on from there.

A sigh left the man then, and he closed his eyes. It was at this moment Sakura was able to see the heavy wrinkles already forming on this man. He suddenly looked so much more worn than she remembered the other day. Certainly tired, for rest was a Kage's sacrifice. Probably even more so for this man, whose village did not flourish like the others. Though it was, and would never be, justified in Sakura's mind, she could see why Suna attacked Konoha during their exams. It came from a man who wanted so much more for his village.

Wait a minute…

Sakura blinked rapidly at the thought. That occurrence, she could try not to let it come into fruition. It was like it a sudden realization dawned on her then. She could try to change, or stop, major occurrences she knew to come.

Yet, something in the back of her mind protested this. There was a warning inside of her as well that reminded her not to alter things that drastically. Before she could dwell on those thoughts anymore, Rasa spoke.

"You must be facing such a tough battle inside your mind right now."

Sakura's thoughts were shaken off by Rasa's light spoken words, and she was surprised to see his tired eyes settled on her, she hadn't realized he was watching and studying her. To the thought of him silently understanding through her body language, that she was battling inside her mind, she narrowed her eyes towards Rasa. Much like Gaara to her at times, she didn't appreciate being interpreted so easily like an open book.

At least not by this man.

Seeing her angry made Rasa smirk lightly.

"Care to share what's on your mind?" he asked.

'Of course,' Sakura thought. 'He is still just another hungry man. Only my secrets will satisfy his cravings.'

Sakura simply shook her head, answering him.

"No."

Another smirk from Rasa, followed by his eyes shutting again. It was quiet after that, almost as if the man was taking this moment to find small rest while he could. Meanwhile, Sakura stood there, upset this man stole her time. She opened her mouth to tell him that she would now take her leave if he wanted nothing from her, but it was like this lord could see through his closed eyes. As soon as her mouth opened, so did his.

"Watch the boy more closely."

Rasa's eyes opened then, narrowing this time towards Sakura. For her, it was the man she remembered meeting not too long ago. Sakura's eyes challenged him, silently trying to tell him she was doing her best.

"He was out last night. People saw him in the streets. He shouldn't be out of his room that late. Not on his own at least."

Sakura opened her mouth, about to tell him that that was a lie, but stopped short when she remembered she had been asleep.

"What would you have me do then?" Sakura asked, anger building her voice higher. "Tie him down while I sleep? Certainly you can't expect me to develop a schedule like his."

"Figure it out," was his answer, "I can't have him terrorizing the village at night anymore than I can have him doing so during the day."

Sakura stepped closer towards the man, a small sneer forming.

"You do it then!" she said. "I'll watch him during the day. Why don't you take him at night?"

Sakura watched as Rasa looked up at her with both distaste, and light humor. He actually thought her to be joking at first, but her glare clarified that this was not the case. So, he spoke to remind her.

"Gaara is your responsibility. Have you forgotten our agreement? Would you like me to remind you?"

"My responsibility?! Do you even hear yourself?! You're his father!"

Their eyes were challenging each other still, Rasa's anger was now matching with Sakura's, and both were silent while staring one another. Surprisingly, it was the lord who broke his gaze first. He took to a paper under him, a pencil in his hand, and his mind now settling on something other than the rosette. Maybe this was his way of calming down a building rage. For the smart girl, she realized this, and sighed while trying to relax herself.

'Don't let him get to you,' Sakura told herself. 'Your blood pressure has been high lately anyway without him.'

Plus, she had to remember it was his help she sought. But that didn't mean he was getting off the hook that easily.

"He fears you," Sakura whispered to the man, watching his pencil stop for a brief second before returning to his work. "He wouldn't even come inside the building."

"..."

"Why is that?"

Rasa sighed, perhaps bringing Sakura to his office had been a mistake, he thought then. Rubbing his temple, his eyes soon rose up to the young woman's.

"He's a spoiled child. He fears authority. He has a dislike for those that tell him no."

Sakura blinked a few times taking his words in. To her long silence, Rasa's eyes fell back down towards the paper.

"I think you're wrong," Sakura finally said, voice soft again.

Rasa smirked, an all knowing look on his face before he spoke.

"Do you now? Why am I not surprised?"

"I can't speak for everyone, but I did see my father as an authority figure. I think most children will see their parents in that way."

She earned Rasa's curious gaze then.

"...but I didn't fear him."

They locked eyes again, Sakura even smiling a little as she spoke.

"Quite the opposite actually. I loved him. I love my father with all of my heart. Even when he yelled at me, or told me no. Not once in my life did it cross my mind that I should be afraid of my father."

Quiet again, but their eyes were still on one another, and Sakura was surprised Rasa looked up at her with such wonder. Did her words truly baffle him? Was he clueless to what she was telling him? If that were true, then this man was just as lost with love as much as his son.

'No,' Sakura thought suddenly. 'He has experienced love at least once. With three kids, he had to have…'

"I think your late wife would be devastated if she knew that her son was afraid of you."

Sakura knew her words were going to be like a hit to his face. And it truly was like a blow, for his eyes widened for a moment and his jaw hung slightly. Meanwhile, Sakura shrugged, her eyes now to the side of her.

"It would have probably torn her up to see how you, his siblings, the village… How everyone treats him."

Rasa said nothing, just simply stared at the girl. For Sakura, she hoped this silence meant her words were sinking in. That this proud man may take to heart what she was telling him, and to be a better father. Her hopes of that shattered though with his next words.

"Karura had no attachment to Gaara."

It was Sakura's turn to stare wide-eyed at the man. Utterly shocked that Rasa could even say such a thing, and she gazed at the man for a while, hoping she could catch the lie that he was surely saying now. Yet, his expression was blank, and it made the young woman's heart sink at the idea he was telling her.

'That's just too cruel…' Sakura thought.

Sakura shook her thoughts then, eyes once again glaring at the man.

"She had to have-"

"She didn't," Rasa said, cutting Sakura off. "Gaara's birth served only one purpose. In the end, she lost her life because of him, and her dying breath was a curse on this village."

The older man spoke these words fast, and Sakura had strained herself to take it all in. Not because his speech was speedy, but because everything he was telling her invoked some sort of shock from her, as well as heartache. It was a little clearer to her why Gaara's sister claimed he was the reason for their mother's death, why she blamed him for losing her mother. Above that, she couldn't fathom the thought of Karura going through this ordeal just to claim she did so for no reason.

"Karura realized in the end all that she was sacrificing just to have Gaara. Her wish for him wasn't to live a long, healthy life, but instead to exist as a symbol of the hatred she held for us all… For what we put her through. Forced her to do..." Rasa finished his words almost in a whisper, obviously shaken for whatever reason towards the end of his speech.

Perhaps he was rattled with some sort of guilt, Sakura assumed. His eyes were suddenly away from her, staring down at his work, but his pencil was still. He didn't take the moment to dwell on Sakura's feelings at the sudden revelation. Perhaps, like Gaara, he didn't wish for her pity. However, it was a small anger, not sympathy, that burned in her eyes hearing about this.

Was recognition too much for Gaara to ask? Was it this story that formed the quiet Kazekage she knew from her time? No wonder he had strive so hard to take a hold of that position. It was still the little boy, from now, that wanted just someone, anyone, to glance his way and note his existence. Why did his mother feel the need to rob him of that the second he came into the world?

"You won't tell him that, right?" Sakura asked, concerned. "At least give him some peace that she-"

"He already knows."

A harsh chill hit Sakura, and she stood frozen in her spot. Heartache still for the boy, and an anger too for the man in front of her.

"Why?" she spat. "For what purpose did you find it fit to tell him? He's already suffering as it is!"

Rasa chewed on his lip, quiet. Sakura wouldn't allow that for him though.

"Why?!" she demanded.

"Like his sister, Gaara's uncle saved his last breath to emphasize to that child just how much everyone despised him, and his existence." Rasa said, lifting his eyes back up to Sakura's before finishing. "A younger brother's love robbed by a boy who took his sister's life. That's why."

Rasa pointed the blame at someone else, but Sakura didn't even let a second pass before she swung her arm through the air, gritting her teeth in anger.

"He didn't ask for it! For any of this! Why…?" Sakura bit her lip, emotions making her voice bounce from high to low. "Why did you put the Ichibi into him without his consent? He was just a baby… Nobody would choose that sort of path. Nobody would want to go through what Gaara has to endure everyday."

Rasa was silent, instead resting his head now into the palm of his hand while his eyes shook under him.

"Your own son. Your own flesh and blood."

Rasa moved his hand quick to a drawer next to him, seizing something within it and giving it a squeeze. It was hidden from Sakura's eyes.

"Why?" she whispered, her eyes hot.

Rasa took a deep breath in before releasing it. His eyes were closed, as if he was searching for that answer as well. He gave the item in his drawer another squeeze before bringing narrowed eyes to meet with Sakura's own. His look was stern once more, and his voice did not shake when he finally answered.

"For my village."

To Sakura, it was just another cruel reply. It told her that Gaara's sole purpose was nothing more to Rasa than him gaining an upper-hand. However, Gaara was no longer a tool he could control. Rasa had miscalculated, and now had a ticking time-bomb within his village. Somewhere along the way, this father's neglect and ignorance had probably caused more damage than all he had hoped to achieve with Gaara and the Ichibi. If it weren't for the future she knew Gaara would one day have, she may have agreed with this man in front of her that this child was a lost cause.

So, Sakura was given some explanations. Some reasons what made Gaara the way he was. She was still positive Rasa hadn't informed her of all the details. His secrets were still his, but Sakura had another question come out through the silence.

"And you?" she asked, nodding her head towards Rasa.

He blinked once, twice. He tried to her understand her solemn inquiry, but couldn't.

"What are you asking?" he finally said.

"I know why the villagers hate him. I know why Temari and Kankuro hate him. I know why his mother hated him, and I know why his uncle did too."

Another blink.

"What is your reason?" Sakura finished.

"..."

"Is it because you think he took Karura from you?"

With his hand still in his desk drawer, Rasa gave the item in hand another tight squeeze. His face contorted under Sakura's look, and a heavy breath flared his nostrils. She had hit a nerve.

"Gaara wasn't the one who took her," Sakura continued, glaring. "It was you."

To the rosette, the finger of blame should be pointed at Rasa. These pointless deaths, the villagers constant fear and dread inside these walls, the loss of his wife, all came from Rasa and a rash decision. And yet, it was him who walked the streets with praise while Gaara suffered the consequences. Rasa was quiet to Sakura's blame, his eye's still on her.

For her, she understood the dangerous world, but this man had been stupid trying to obtain a power he couldn't control, and it was Gaara who suffered unfairly because of it. This made her angry.

"You just had to have him, and now you do," Sakura hissed. "Was it all worth it? All these deaths?"

Another squeeze.

"There are many things I had to let go of. For my village," Rasa replied coldly.

Sakura turned her eyes to the window nearest to her, gaze scouring the outside.

"And yet, the buildings and people sway," Sakura said, her eyes returning to Rasa. "They will all fall eventually."

Rasa wasn't blind to her words; he knew the message she was conveying. Karura's sacrifice, the Ichibi inside of Gaara, and all the lost lives had been for naught. The village was no better through Rasa's decision.

Only worse.

Another nerve struck. Not because she shed light on the situation, but because her words were like a constant, ringing bell he had in his own mind.

Everyday.

The plans he had for Gaara had been a failure since the beginning, and worse, it brought more damage and ruins to his already crumbling home. Sakura was naive if she thought she was shedding some sort of new knowledge onto him, but for some reason, her understanding irked him. If his stupid decision was this obvious to her, a stranger, how did everyone else view him and his choices? Did they all share her thought pattern, but bit their tongues for his sake? Did this pink haired woman speak what they all thought?

Another blow, and it made Rasa crack for a moment.

From the drawer to his desk, he slammed an item hard against the wood. Sakura stared at the item shadowed in his hand curiously, it was a mixture of a white and red. She turned back to his eyes, catching a heinous glint in his orbs. He held a smirk now, as if the knowledge he was now going to share would be so much more of an impact than anything she had said thus far. Maybe that was where that glint and smirk came from. Behind all of that, she could see a man suddenly unhinged. Whatever he was going to tell her now had not been his previous intention when calling her here. She had forced this out of him, and she watched as he opened his mouth.

"You-"

A knock at the door interrupted Rasa, and both him and Sakura's attention was drawn by the man entering the office. It was Baki, and while his face was passive, Sakura's stomach twisted in anxiety.

'Please don't say he ran off…' Sakura's mind shook.

"Pardon my interruption Kazekage-sama, Sakura-san," Baki said with a bow. "He asked me to come and get you, that he wishes to go now."

Sakura's eyes widened in light surprise. She was grateful that he had actually listened to her and didn't run off on his own. Her eyes fell back to the Kazekage and what he gripped in his hands, but on his desk was nothing but papers now. Rasa had slipped the item back into his desk with Baki's interruption. His disheveled look was now gone and instead a calm and collected leader sat in front of her.

"Was there something else you..." Sakura began to ask, but stopped when Rasa waved a passive hand.

"No," he mumbled, eyes away from her. "We're done here."

Though there was something poking at her mind to ask Rasa what he was about to show her, Sakura forced herself to just nod at the man. She didn't want to push her luck with Gaara's patience, so instead strode towards the door Baki held open for her. She stopped just in front of the ninja when she remembered what he had told her earlier.

"I suppose I will be seeing you again soon with Gaara's training."

Baki opened his mouth to reply to Sakura's assumption, but was stopped by Rasa's own.

"Baki does not observe Gaara's training. Only Temari and Kankuro's."

Sakura took a step back to better look at Rasa,

"But then how is he taught teamwork? He needs to learn his siblings' strengths and weak points, and they his. They all need to..." Sakura slowed her words to a stop when she saw Rasa chuckling at her like a fool.

"You're dismissed, Sakura," he said, hinting for her to go. "I'll let you know beforehand when I feel a need to train the boy."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at the man, about to emphasize again the importance of Gaara training with his siblings. Bonds formed within teams, and Sakura hoped the three children's own could begin soon. Yet, Rasa spoke above her.

"Go. He shouldn't be left alone."

Sakura pouted and huffed lightly, but turned and stomped out instead of retaliating. This Kazekage was more infuriating than Kakashi could be most of the time, and obviously undermine her simply because he thought himself better than her. Just another brat like his children.

Behind her, Baki closed the door to the office, sealing himself and his lord inside. Surprisingly, the young ninja took this moment to speak his mind.

"She views Gaara differently from the rest of us. She will smile in his direction."

Rasa had turned his eyes back to the window and on his village, just like when Sakura first entered.

"She is naive. She thinks she has seen all sides of him," Rasa said. "Wait until a full moon a comes..."

Baki couldn't help but notice the small smirk rise on Rasa's face, before interrupting the Kazekage's thoughts with his voice.

"Did you mention to her what happened last night?"

Rasa sighed before turning back to his desk drawer and pulling out the item he held in his hand when Sakura was there.

"She will learn," Rasa repeated. "She is stubborn, but will see with time. There's no need for me to tell her. Gaara will show her."

Rasa pulled out the white headband, rubbing his thumb against the metal plate that bore the village's symbol before eyeing the splattered blood that stained it. He was quiet for some time, lost in his thoughts before calling for Baki's attention.

"I need you to watch Temari, and Kankuro, for the time being."

A new order from his lord, and Baki agreed to it without hesitation, but did ask a justified question.

"What would you like me to tell them if they ask about Shiori?"

The metal plate was brushed one more time by Rasa before the headband was stuffed back into his desk.

"Just tell them the truth."

Rasa turned to look up at Baki.

"That Gaara killed her last night."


"That man..." Sakura mumbled under her breath.

She stopped as soon as she was outside again, eyes wincing to the bright sun. She looked down the flight of stairs, searching for the little boy while still fuming lightly in her mind. As much as she had been hoping to grasp Gaara's life scenario with more understanding, she couldn't stop herself from becoming upset and disheartened over some knowledge Rasa had shared.

Particularly the one about his mother.

"Is there really nobody in this world that loves him?"

Another painful thought, and Sakura tried to shake it off once she spotted said boy standing off to the side at the bottom of the stairs, his back turned to her. She began her way towards him.

"Gaara," she called as soon as she was close enough. "Sorry I took so long."

Despite her thoughts, despite her heartache, she formed a smile.

'Everything will change eventually,' she reminded herself.

He didn't reply, no surprise to her, but she stopped short just behind him. From her angle, she could see he was holding something, and his eyes and attention was sorely on the item in his hand than on her.

"What are you holding?" she asked, curious as to what he could have found out here that was entertaining.

He was quiet to her question, and she didn't think him to answer her. Yet, no matter what understanding she learned about him at any given time, he always seemed to surprise her.

"I don't know," he said, eyes still on what he held.

"Can I see then? Maybe I know what it is," she said, kneeling down to his level.

His curious mind heeded to her vocal beckon, and he turned to show her what he had plucked in his two fingers. It was a lot bigger than Sakura expected, it was black as night, and it was currently giving Gaara's defense a feverish workout as it kept trying to strike at the hand, that held it, with its tail. The scenario in front of her made Sakura bolt upright, and she shivered at the scorpion that still had Gaara's attention.

'Those pincers!' Sakura screamed in her mind while trying to suppress another cold shiver.

She didn't care how much more strength she had in her finger than the creature had, those crawly things still freaked her out, and this one was so huge and foreboding! Yet, that nasty feeling left when she saw Gaara's sand lightly spring forward every time the animal brought its stinger to strike at his hand.

"Hey," Sakura said, bringing her hand forward towards the boy to get his attention, "put it down now."

Gaara instead tilted his head side to side, studying the scorpion even more and drawing it up to his eye level. It made Sakura's stomach do a flip.

"Why?" Gaara finally asked, his eyes sliding to meet with hers.

'Because all those legs are creeping me out!' Sakura screamed in her mind, but settled with other choice words.

"Because that's a scorpion. They are dangerous!"

As if her words weren't emphasis enough, she gestured towards the scorpion again, hoping Gaara could understand why it struck at his hand. Even if his sand forbade the creature's strike, she still dreaded the thought of Gaara getting stung and becoming ill because of this.

His eyes did slide back to the creature, and he took more notice how it constantly struck for his hand.

"Dangerous," the boy mumbled, head and eyes still tilting and studying the creature.

After another minute, and Gaara showing no sign of letting go, Sakura reached for him, hoping to knock the creature out of his hand. She stopped, and stepped back, when a small wave of sand circled around Gaara before encasing the scorpion. She watched with wide eyes as his sand made a small implosion within his palms. There was a small, demented smile on the boy as his sand retracted and fluids and bits of the creature fell from his hand. This look fell and disappeared, for the time, once he turned to look back at Sakura.

She was quiet for the moment when they locked eyes, surprised he had just killed the scorpion in his hand.

"Why?" she asked, upset he had done that.

Even if it was just an animal, his impulse to kill just to be rid of something that easily was the reason why people feared him. This behavior shouldn't have been the one he brought forth to solve a problem. He should have hesitance in killing.

He was a kid; he was supposed to have innocence.

"Why did you do that?" she asked again, his remorseless gaze looking up towards her.

"It was weak," he answered, his eyes falling to the side of him as if he found interest somewhere off in the distance. "You lied. Again."

Sakura's anger was replaced with confusion, and before she could even ask, Gaara spoke.

"You're suppose to kill dangerous things, before they kill you. But it wasn't dangerous."

His eyes went back up to her then, watching her as if he was waiting for some sort of reaction or apology.

"Then why did you kill it?"

His eyes went past her, to an office high above her.

"It tried to hurt me, so I hurt it back."

Sakura's eyes widened then. Somehow, though she couldn't quite grip what he was telling her, she knew there was a blame to the world around him for that thinking. So, she knelt down once more to level, earning back his eyes.

"I know this may be hard for you to believe, but that sort of thinking is wrong," Sakura said, and Gaara narrowed his eyes to her words.

He was confused, he didn't understand. It made him angry, and Sakura mentally cursed all those that taught this little boy such a backwards lesson.

"There will always be people that want to hurt you." Sakura said, pausing a taking a breath in before continuing her words. "There will be people who don't mean to hurt you, but still slip up and do."

His eyes glared all the more towards the rosette because for him no such person existed. People purposely caused him emotional distress, and tried to do the same to him physically. He didn't understand what she meant by there would be people who didn't want to hurt him.

Everyone wanted to hurt him.

"But just because they do it, doesn't mean you should stoop to their level."

Sakura watched his gaze, hoping there was some understanding she could see in his eyes. Yet, he was silent and blinked while staring at her. She took another bold move then, and brought her finger to the boy's chest. His nose flared when her digit poked where his heart would be, but other than that, he stood there, letting her touch him.

"It hurts, right here. Doesn't it?" she asked, and watched as his face morphed into disbelief and confusion.

He stepped back from her and her finger then, trying to reject the thought that she understood him and his pain. Sakura meanwhile brought her hand to her own chest.

"I've felt it too. I've been hurt many times. I've been hurt by people who hated me, people who wished me dead."

Gaara gazed at her hand and back to eyes, invested more to her words now.

"I've been hurt by people who I loved, and loved me back," Sakura said, forcing a soft smile on her face while mentally pushing down some bad memories. "But the last thing I ever wanted was for them to hurt like they hurt me. There was no way I could bring myself to hurt them back."

His eyes narrowed again then. It was still too early for him to understand, so Sakura sighed instead with another smile and spoke with shorter words.

"Don't kill. It won't help that pain in your heart."

Sakura stood then, brushing her knees off again before looking back at Gaara.

"You might regret it one day, too."

She smiled down at him, arm reaching to brush his hair. She dropped her arm though when he recognized the motion and slapped her arm way from touching him. She paid his rejection no mind.

"Try not to hurt anyone," Sakura emphasized again. "If you're hurting. If you're unsure of something. Just come to me, I promise I'll help you."

Gaara's angry gaze was away from her, looking once more to the side of him. She knew he had heard her though, and understood what she was saying. They were quiet for some time, for Sakura hoped the boy would reply while his wish was for her to shut up and stop confusing him. After some time, Sakura shrugged and smiled.

"I don't like your father either."

Gaara's eyes widened then for a brief moment before turning once again towards Sakura. By then, she had her back towards him and had already began her walk towards the village shops, she had a few new things in mind now.

"Let's go," she called for him to hear. "If you're quick enough, I'll let you hold my hand."

Unknown to her, he watched her for a time in his spot. Her words swimming through his mind while he tried to grasp her meanings to it all. Yet, as she began to disappear down the road, he used his sand to transport himself just behind her. He didn't walk next to her like she always hoped he would, but he was a few feet closer to her while he followed her back, his mind still full.

Though, above it all, he watched her empty hand sway to her movements. Her invitation to hold it still ringing in his head.